CVE-2005-0916 in Linux
Summary
by MITRE
AIO in the Linux kernel 2.6.11 on the PPC64 or IA64 architectures with CONFIG_HUGETLB_PAGE enabled allows local users to cause a denial of service (system panic) via a process that executes the io_queue_init function but exits without running io_queue_release, which causes exit_aio and is_hugepage_only_range to fail.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/22/2024
The vulnerability described in CVE-2005-0916 represents a critical denial of service flaw within the Linux kernel's asynchronous I/O implementation on specific architectures. This issue affects systems running kernel version 2.6.11 with PPC64 or IA64 processor architectures where the CONFIG_HUGETLB_PAGE configuration option is enabled. The vulnerability stems from improper handling of asynchronous I/O operations during process termination, creating a scenario where system stability can be compromised through deliberate exploitation.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the interaction between the asynchronous I/O subsystem and the huge page memory management system. When a process executes the io_queue_init function but terminates without properly calling io_queue_release, the kernel's cleanup routines become inconsistent. This particular sequence triggers failures in both exit_aio and is_hugepage_only_range functions, which are responsible for managing asynchronous I/O contexts and validating huge page memory ranges respectively. The failure occurs because the kernel's memory management subsystem cannot properly account for the resources that were allocated during the initialization phase but never properly released during the termination sequence.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple system instability to potentially compromise the availability of critical services running on affected systems. Local users with access to the system can exploit this weakness to generate system panics that result in complete system crashes. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous in environments where system uptime is critical, such as enterprise servers, database systems, or mission-critical infrastructure components. The denial of service condition can be triggered repeatedly, allowing an attacker to maintain persistent system disruption without requiring elevated privileges.
This vulnerability maps directly to CWE-121 in the Common Weakness Enumeration catalog, which classifies it as a stack-based buffer overflow or memory management error in the context of improper resource cleanup. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this as a privilege escalation technique through system resource exhaustion or corruption, specifically under the T1499 sub-technique for Network Denial of Service. The vulnerability demonstrates poor resource management practices where allocated kernel resources are not properly freed during process termination, creating a condition that leads to kernel panic states.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate kernel updates to versions that address the memory management inconsistency in the asynchronous I/O subsystem. System administrators should also consider disabling CONFIG_HUGETLB_PAGE if huge page functionality is not specifically required for their workloads, as this removes the vulnerable code path entirely. Additionally, monitoring systems should be implemented to detect unusual patterns of process termination that might indicate exploitation attempts. The recommended approach involves applying the appropriate kernel security patches while maintaining careful oversight of system behavior to prevent exploitation attempts that could lead to system-wide outages and service disruption.